FQT starts up low-energy, high-quality alcohol systems at Three Rivers Energy 
Fluid Quip Technologies has announced the successful start-up of its cutting-edge LED (Low Energy Distillation) and GNS (Grain Neutral Spirits) technologies at the Three Rivers Energy ethanol plant in Coshocton, Ohio.

LED’s process balances the amount of energy used and reclaimed within the alcohol production process, for a total energy savings of up to 40 percent. The technology can be integrated into current alcohol systems to achieve a more sustainable production model, a lower carbon footprint and enhanced profitability. Complementing the LED system, FQT’s GNS technology provides a unique approach to optimizing high-purity, beverage-grade alcohol production. The system is designed to achieve ultra-pure alcohol specifications within the first 24 hours of start-up.

Novozymes unveils newest advanced dry yeast 
Novozymes has launched a new yeast called Innova Apex ADY, which is designed to allow ethanol producers that prefer dry yeast to break fermentation bottlenecks while creating plant efficiencies. Innova Apex ADY is the tenth advanced yeast solution to join the company’s Innova yeast platform, which is aimed at helping producers hit their yield and reliability targets. Apex ADY also reduces urea additions without sacrificing robustness to common production stressors, such as high temperature and organic acids; and it provides ethanol plants with the choice of a dry yeast format after the successful launch of Innova Apex cream yeast last year. 

The new product delivers up to 2% more ethanol than leading advanced dry yeasts in the market, lowers demand for urea by up to 90% and can eliminate the need for other fermentation aids like nutritional supplements.  

POET donates nearly $150,000 through Community Impact Grant Program 
POET, the world’s largest biofuel producer, has donated nearly $150,000 through its 2023 POET Community Impact Grant Program. All of POET’s 33 bioprocessing facilities across eight Midwest states and POET Terminal-Savannah, Georgia, participated in this year’s grant program. POET Community Impact Grants are one-time grants of up to $4,000 for local non-profits, schools, churches, Earth-friendly groups, and individuals who are leading initiatives to improve their local communities. 

“For over 35 years, POET has worked to change the world,” said Alyssa Broin Christensen, POET vice president of Team & Community Impact. “We believe that making a positive, lasting impact starts in the communities we call home, with our friends, families and neighbors. The Community Impact Grant Program was created to support the organizations and individuals who share our never-satisfied mentality to leave the world better than we found it.”

Whitefox membrane installed at The Andersons Denison plant
The Andersons Inc. has successfully installed the Whitefox ICE membrane dehydration system at its ethanol plant in Denison, Iowa. It is Whitefox’s 11th installation in the U.S. The ICE system treats existing recycling streams to both free up and debottleneck distillation-dehydration capacity, allowing producers to lower natural gas usage, cut carbon emissions, improve plant cooling and potentially increase production capacity.

“We have been evaluating Whitefox technology for some time, and saw that the system aligned with our goals for upgrading the Denison plant, which include lower steam use and energy cost per gallon,” said Bill Krueger, COO and president of The Andersons Trade and Processing. “It also helps to drive our objective of reducing carbon intensity across our production facilities. I am excited that this project is now completed as it addresses several of our strategic priorities.”
 

Alfa Laval introduces new double-seat valves
Alfa Laval has unveiled two new hygienic valves, the Alfa Laval Unique Mixproof CIP valve and the Unique Mixproof Process valve, extending its hygienic double-seat valve range to meet market demands. With the introduction of these new products, the company says producers concerned about product integrity now have a cost-effective way to enhance product safety while boosting process efficiency.

These new valves are built on proven performance, yet refined for purpose. The Unique Mixproof CIP valve is a double-seat product that safely and efficiently manages the flow of cleaning media during clean-in-place. The Unique Mixproof Process valve, a compact product, is configurable and available in various sizes to meet manufacturers’ fundamental hygienic processing requirements. Both are capable of simultaneously routing two different fluids without the risk of cross-contamination, contributing to more uptime and reduced total cost of ownership.